Wu Xin: The Monster Killer

Chapter 64 The Living Dead

Zhang Xianzong stood before Yue Qiluo, his blood-stained military uniform shirt removed, and the layers of dirty bandages unwrapped. Between his chest and abdomen was a palm-sized wound, the blood drained away, revealing a thin layer of yellow fat under the skin, as well as the chaotic, bluish-purple internal organs.

The desire to breathe vanished, all desires vanished, and he could no longer even feel pain. Slowly raising a stiff, cold hand, he seemed to see a dark patch of lividity, but upon closer inspection, it was gone. Outside the window, the sun shone brightly, birds sang, and flowers bloomed. He turned his head to gaze at the beautiful spring scenery, and his dull eyes suddenly filled with cold tears.

"Qiluo," he spoke in a hoarse voice, "have I turned into Ding Datou?"

Yue Qiluo disdained to be moved by anyone, but as she quietly gazed at Zhang Xianzong, a sudden, sharp pain shot through her right eye. The blood spots lurking within her eye began to spread. Enduring the pain without showing any emotion, she simply uttered a single word: "Yes."

Zhang Xianzong stood tall in the spring sunshine, a bitter smile on his ashen face: "I want to live."

Then he turned to Yue Qiluo: "But perhaps it would be better if I died."

Yue Qiluo stood firmly before him. With her hands tucked into her sleeves, she said in a thin, weak voice, "Zhang Xianzong, I will protect your soul."

Then she pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve, stepped forward, tilted her head back, and raised her hand to wipe away the tears on his cheeks.

Zhang Xianzong lowered his head slightly, not wanting to trouble her too much. He hadn't expected her to treat him so kindly, but it was a pity he was already dead; she wasn't treating the living kindly, but the corpse.

Yue Qiluo discreetly brought in clean water, then dismissed the servants, locked the door tightly, and assigned guards to stand watch outside. She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her two slender, snow-white arms. Holding scissors, she cut open Zhang Xianzong's chest and abdomen, pulling out his internal organs.

She wiped away the bloodstains with a damp towel, then smeared a layer of strong liquor inside his cavity. Zhang Xianzong lay supine on the ground, watching her, like a little girl, tear large wads of cotton from the quilt and stuff them into his cavity, as if stuffing a rag doll. He knew in his heart that it would be better if he really died; but watching Yue Qiluo so intently processing him, he felt a sense of honor. Why did he love Yue Qiluo? He couldn't say; why did he love her to the point of being willing to suffer eternal damnation? He still didn't know. He had lived for over thirty years and already knew that there were many things in this world whose causes and consequences could never be found.

"After all, it's your own body, so it's useful." Yue Qiluo said casually amidst the stench filling the room, "If it ever becomes unusable due to damage, I'll find you a new one."

Zhang Xianzong watched her thread the needle and meticulously sew up the wounds on his chest and back: "Alright, I'll get a younger, prettier look in the future."

Yue Qiluo squinted her aching right eye, her fingers gripping the steel needle forming an awkward orchid shape: "Superficial!"

She thought Zhang Xianzong was just an ordinary mortal and had no right to be vain.

The doors and windows were tightly closed, and the stench inside did not spread strongly out. After dark, the guards withdrew, and Zhang Xianzong went out carrying an iron bucket.

He buried his entrails under an old tree behind the Ding residence. Fortunately, the weather warmed up and the frozen soil thawed, allowing him to easily dig a deep pit. Pouring a bucket of soft matter into the pit with a splash, Zhang Xianzong felt like he was sleepwalking. There was no ambush, no death; when he woke up, it would be a new day.

His senses were dulled, but the feeling of being possessed was growing stronger. He carried the empty bucket back, his legs feeling like they weren't his own, yet obeying him. He took each step with stiffness, as if he might fall at any moment. The metal bucket swayed and bumped against his knees, but he felt no pain.

Two pairs of eyes peeked out from behind the wall, but he didn't notice them. Only after he had walked away did both pairs of eyes appear. Two officers, hunched over, jumped down together, trembling. The orderly who had been used as their stepping stone stood up, looking around warily.

An officer, arms crossed, asked in a low voice, as if afraid of the cold, "Did you see it?"

Another officer adopted the same posture: "I saw it."

Around midnight, there was movement on the wall again. Two officers, carrying small shovels, climbed over the wall and began digging up the fresh soil under the tree.

An hour later, the pit was filled in as it was. The two officers, eyes wide, scaled the wall and went outside. Once outside, they collapsed and were carried away by their orderly. Their legs were weak, but their tongues were stiff; they couldn't utter a word, only exhaling cold air through their nostrils. These were men who had seen battle; how could they not recognize the body parts? As close followers of the former brigade commander, Ding Datou, they weren't stupid; they knew what was going on. Could the chief of staff, covered in blood, really get off the carriage and walk? And walk such a long distance in one go? Something was wrong, definitely wrong!

However, as the two men lay on the orderly's back, they exchanged a glance and, as if on cue, kept their mouths tightly shut.

The following morning, Zhang Xianzong appeared at the headquarters in full military uniform.

His face looked unwell, and he used a cane, walking with a slight sway. Someone smelled something amiss and asked with a forced smile, "Have you been drinking, Master?"

Zhang Xianzong nodded blankly, his neck hunching as he spoke: "Yes, I drank."

Someone else asked, "Chief of Staff, are you alright?"

Zhang Xianzong replied, "It's just a superficial wound, nothing serious."

He refused to show weakness, for the country was unstable, and as long as his body could still hold on, he dared not reveal any flaws. Suddenly, he no longer wanted to die, because he held power and troops. He thought that perhaps Qiluo would have a way to preserve his physical body, perhaps he would wake up one morning and truly be reborn.

After showing up at the headquarters, he returned to Yue Qiluo's side. Now that he could speak freely, he recounted the events of the previous day truthfully.

"The person who fired the shot was a young married woman." He told Yue Qiluo, "There was a strange pretty boy next to Gu Xuanwu who first took a shot for him, and then rushed up to take my gun as if nothing had happened. If he hadn't interfered, I wouldn't have been shot by a woman."

Yue Qiluo was taken aback: "A strange pretty boy? What does he look like?"

Zhang Xianzong subconsciously shook his head: "I didn't pay attention, I only remember that he had a pale face and big eyes."

Yue Qiluo asked again, "Are you sure you hit him with one shot?"

Zhang Xianzong replied, "I'm sure."

Yue Qiluo clenched her fists. She didn't have any solid evidence, but she was convinced that the strange pretty boy was Wuxin! She knew Wuxin wouldn't die, but what did his life or death have to do with her? He didn't love her anyway.

The only one willing to fire a gun to save the heartless young wife must be Crescent Moon. Crescent Moon stole the one she loved and killed the one who loved her. She originally didn't want to stoop to Crescent Moon's level, but at this moment, she thought Crescent Moon had really gone too far. Her right eye began to throb with pain, and she became angry.

Lord Gu left Tanggezhuang and arrived at Ligezhuang, about twenty li away. After settling in in an orderly manner, he mobilized his troops and began planning his revenge and counterattack. After a busy day, he entered the temporary brick house in the evening and found Yueya making dumplings with a heavy heart.

Crescent Moon couldn't remember how she fired the gun. She only remembered Zhang Xianzong slamming Wuxin against the wall, the impact making her spine ache. With no help in the courtyard and no one to rely on, she grabbed the gun and ran up. The gun was incredibly heavy, heavier than she expected, like a lump of iron. Even after the shot had been fired, she held it still, her mind reeling, only thinking about how heavy it was.

Lord Gu knew she was frightened, but didn't know how to comfort her. He turned and went into the east room, where he saw Wuxin on the kang (a heated brick bed). Wuxin had a neat bullet hole in his waist. The bleeding had long since stopped, but Lord Gu lifted his clothes to examine him closely and saw a pinkish fleshy growth blocking the hole. Based on experience, the growth would likely grow larger and eventually fill the hole. Wuxin wasn't dead, but he was easily hurt. Now, lying face down on the kang, he didn't even have the energy to open his eyes or speak.

A great kindness needs no words of thanks, especially one that saves a life. Master Gu didn't mince words, simply patting him on the back. He leaned back and sat down on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), a question arising in his mind: "Master, do you have kidneys?"

Wu Xin glanced at him without saying a word.

Lord Gu pressed on, "And the heart, liver, spleen, and lungs?"

Before Wuxin could answer, Yueya entered carrying a steaming bowl of dumplings. Lord Gu, ever observant, set the table on the kang (heated brick bed), while Wuxin retreated to a corner. Yueya served him a bowl of dumplings and placed it beside his pillow, letting him lie on the kang and eat slowly; she then sat opposite Lord Gu across the table. As Yueya ate, she felt a finger poking her lower back. Turning around, she saw Wuxin offering her an empty bowl.

Lord Gu cleared his throat and said, "Yueya, don't take it to heart. Saving your man was your duty; there's nothing to regret!"

As Crescent Moon ladled dumplings into her bowl, she replied, "I don't regret it, I just feel uncomfortable."

Lord Gu peeled two cloves of garlic for himself: "A good night's sleep will do the trick, don't worry about it!"

Crescent Moon gave a soft "hmm," then turned and handed a full bowl of dumplings to Wuxin. A wind picked up outside, rattling the windowpanes. Crescent Moon glanced out without batting an eye, suspecting it was Zhang Xianzong's ghost coming to settle scores. But the thought quickly faded, and she looked away, thinking, "You tried to harm my man, so naturally I'll kill you. And if there's a next time, I'll do the same."

Just as Master Gu said, after Yueya slept with Wuxin's arm as her pillow for a night, it was as if she had overcome a hurdle in her heart and returned to her usual temperament. Sitting cross-legged on the kang, she always had needlework to do, and she did it so meticulously that she spent an endless time sewing a shoe sole.

After three days, she finally finished making a shoe. Wuxin stood on the kang (heated brick bed) and tried it on, walking back and forth a few steps before saying, "Crescent Moon, the shoe is too small."

Through the shoe, Crescent Moon pressed his toes with her fingers: "Don't worry about it being too small, it'll grow bigger as you wear it."

Just as Wuxin was about to speak, a loud "thump" was heard as someone flicked open the window. Lord Gu's smiling face flashed outside the window, then he strode back into the room: "Hehe, something quite interesting has happened!"

Without thinking, he sat down and took off his shoes: "What's so strange? Everything seems fine."

Lord Gu replied, "It's good, but it's also quite frightening."

Wuxin knew he was waiting for her to ask a question, so she smiled at him and deliberately didn't ask. Lord Gu was silent for a moment, and seeing that Wuxin and Yueya were conspiring to pretend to be mute, he couldn't help but speak up: "Zhang Xianzong, wasn't he shot dead by Yueya? So he's not dead, he's still alive."

Upon hearing this, Yueya felt a sense of relief, as she was relieved of a murder case. Wuxin remained noncommittal, waiting for Lord Gu to continue.

Lord Gu laughed smugly, "Although he didn't die, a day or two after he led his troops back, for some reason, internal strife broke out in Wen County. I don't know the specifics, but for now, I won't fire a single shot; I'll just sit back and watch the dogs fight. Once they're tired of fighting, they'll probably surrender on their own without me even having to send troops! Hahaha!"

(End of this chapter)